Simone Biles Shares Reason She’s '50-50' About Competing in 2028 Olympics
Simone Biles Shares Reason She’s '50-50' About Competing in 2028 Olympics
Kimberlee SpeakmanThu, April 30, 2026 at 1:23 PM UTC
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Simone BilesCredit: Kristy Sparow/Getty -
Simone Biles told CNN Sports in a recent interview that she is "still at a 50-50" about whether she's going to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics, citing mental health as a key factor
The gymnast also reflected on her Tokyo Olympics experience in 2021, saying it was positive as it helped spark global conversations about mental health in sports and got her into therapy
Biles is currently taking a break from sport to recover following the 2024 Paris Olympics
Simone Biles may still compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics.
The 29-year-old gymnast — who previously said that she wasn’t ruling out competing in the next Olympics, which is set to take place in Los Angeles — spoke further about the upcoming event in an interview with CNN Sports.
“I feel like we’re still at a 50-50,” she told the outlet during the interview, which took place in Madrid, Spain. “We’re still on a time crunch here. Now it’s almost half of 2026, so we’re gonna have to make these decisions pretty quickly.”
Simone Biles poses with her medals from the 2024 Paris OlympicsCredit: Jamie Squire/Getty
The three-time Olympian said one of the key factors in her decision whether to compete was going to be her mental health. Biles has been open about her mental health through the years, after the dreaded twisties resulted in her withdrawing from multiple events at the Tokyo Olympics back in 2021.
“Mental health plays a big role in it because, physically, my coaches will get me in shape,” Biles told CNN Sports, while speaking at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid.
“I can get myself in shape. We believe in that ability. We’re really thankful that I’m still healthy. But mental is a huge thing, and it’s a lot of dedication on that, because the road’s not easy. It’s long, but it’s still work,” she added.
Simone Biles at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid, Spain on April 20, 2026Credit: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty
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When asked about how she viewed what happened in Tokyo now, the athlete shared that it was "a real pivotal moment" for her, and that she thought it was “very good globally to have that conversation on the topic of mental health.”
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“Other than that I feel like it showed realness to me because everyone thought I was a robot. She’s not real. But it’s just like down to the core, I’m like ‘Guys, I am real.’ There’s rawness to it,” she said.
Simone Biles at the 2024 Paris OlympicsCredit: Tom Weller/VOIGT/Getty
“But most importantly it got me the therapy that I deserved and I’m still currently in therapy. And now I look at it as being courageous and not so much a weakness, which before that was not the case,” Biles added.
As for right now, the gymnast is still on a break from the sport, in order to give her body time to recover after competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Simone Biles at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021Credit: Loic VENANCE / AFP via Getty
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“I was telling my doctor the other day, I was like, ‘You know what? I think I have to start stretching every day because on shoots, they’re always asking to do splits and leaps and jumps,’ ” she said. “Yeah, I think it’s normal, but with some time off, I tried to do a split the other day, and that kind of hurt.”
“So, I’m gonna start doing that and doing Pilates and doing some yoga. So that’s about as far as I got right now,” Biles continued.
Biles' teammate Hezly Rivera, 16 — who was the youngest on the 2024 U.S. gold medal-winning team — has her sights set on the 2028 Olympics, per TIME magazine. It is unclear if others including Jade Carey, Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles will return to compete.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
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Source: “AOL Sports”
